Iran ‘REJECTS second round of peace talks with the US’

Donald Trump has claimed the US has taken custody of an Iranian ship after it tried to get past the naval blockade.

He said the navy blew a hole in the ship’s engine room after the US-sanctioned vessel refused to stop at the US’ demand.

In a post on Truth Social, the US President wrote: ‘Today, an Iranian-flagged cargo ship named TOUSKA, nearly 900 feet long and weighing almost as much as an aircraft carrier, tried to get past our Naval Blockade, and it did not go well for them.

‘The U.S. Navy Guided Missile Destroyer USS SPRUANCE intercepted the TOUSKA in the Gulf of Oman, and gave them fair warning to stop. The Iranian crew refused to listen, so our Navy ship stopped them right in their tracks by blowing a hole in the engineroom.

‘Right now, U.S. Marines have custody of the vessel. The TOUSKA is under U.S. Treasury Sanctions because of their prior history of illegal activity. We have full custody of the ship, and are seeing what’s on board! President DONALD J. TRUMP.’

Two TUI cruise ships have passed through the Strait of Hormuz.

The travel operator said: ‘Mein Schiff 4 and Mein Schiff 5 have successfully passed the Strait of Hormuz.

TUI did not say when they navigated through but ships are now travelling to the Mediterranean

It added: ‘The passage took place based on the relevant coordination and approvals from the authorities, in a controlled manner and with careful consideration of the security situation.’

Benjamin Netanyahu has said the war with Iran is not over yet despite the ongoing ceasefire.

Israel is also observing a 10-day truce with Lebanon as well as a pause in fighting with Iran.

Speaking during the visit of Argentina’s President Javier Milei to Jerusalem, the Israeli Prime Minister warned the conflict is far from over.

He said: ‘We have been engaged with the United States in a battle against the Great Tyranny of Iran, which terrorizes the world, which seeks our destruction and seeks to bring down the United States, seeks to bring down Western civilization as we know it.

‘We have achieved enormous things. It’s not over yet. And any moment could bring us new developments.’

As the fragile two-week ceasefire continues:

• Iran has reportedly rejected a second round of peace talks with the US, blaming Washington for ‘excessive demands’
• Donald Trump earlier said a new round of ‘negotiations’ would be taking place on Monday and warned he would ‘knock out’ Iran’s power plants and bridges if Tehran did not agree to a deal
• He claimed a delegation, including JD Vance, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kusher, was being sent to Pakistan for peace talks
• The Strait of Hormuz remains shuts after some vessels were attacked by Iran on Saturday
• Pope Leo XIV has praised the ceasefire amid his ongoing feud with Trump

The British army has declared the situation at the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf to be ‘critical’.

The military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) centre, cited ‘a high level of activity by naval forces in the region’.

It said there is a ‘risk of attack or miscalculation’ in the passageway.

The Iranian navy reimposed tight restrictions on transit through the strait as the US military implements a blockade on Iranian ports and waters.

The UKMTO also cited multiple attacks on Saturday by Iranian forces on vessels passing through the strait.

Iran has rejected a second round of peace talks with the US after Donald Trump said a fresh round of negotiations would take place on Monday.

Tehran accused the US of ‘excessive demands’ and blamed its ongoing blockade of the Strait of Hormuz for its absence, according to Iran’s state IRNA news agency.

The regime blamed ‘Washington’s excessive demands, unrealistic expectations, constant shifts in stance, repeated contradictions, and the ongoing naval blockade’ for its refusal to negotiate, the agency reported.

‘In these circumstances, there is no bright prospect for fruitful negotiations,’ it added in a post on Telegram.

It comes just a day before US Vice President JD Vance was due to arrive in Pakistan for peace talks as a fragile two-week ceasefire continues.

Trump said a new round of ‘negotiations’ would be taking place tomorrow and warned he would ‘knock out’ Iran’s power plants and bridges if Tehran did not agree to a deal

The Pope has praised the ongoing ceasefire between the US and Iran during a visit to Angola.

Pope Leo XIV also decried the recent ramp-up in the ⁠Ukraine war, calling ‘for the weapons to fall silent and for the path of dialogue to be followed’.

The pontiff said the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon ‘was a reason for hope’ and urged the permanent cessation of fighting.

Leo has been embroiled in a fiery row with Donald Trump this week over his opposition to the war in Iran.

The IDF has shared a map showing where its troops are operating in Lebanon.

Despite signing a 10-day ceasefire with Lebanon, Israel has kept its military in the south of the country.

Five military divisions are currently based in southern Lebanon.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps have cast doubt over the regime’s involvment in further peace talks.

The state affiliated Tasnim News Agency has said Iran will not join talks with the US if Donald Trump’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz continues

Fars News Agency said a decision has not been made yet but described the situation as ‘not positive’.

Earlier today, Trump said negotiators will return to Pakistan on Monday for talks.

He said every power plant and bridge in will be destroyed if Tehran does not agree a deal.

The situation for UN peacekeepers in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has ‘got worse’ over the past week, with several troops killed, according to a spokesperson.

A French UN peacekeeper was killed yesterday despite there being a ten-day ceasefire in place between Israel and Hezbollah.

The soldier died and three people were wounded when a UN patrol came under fire in southern Lebanon.

French President Emmanuel Macron blamed the attack on Hezbollah, but the Iran-backed armed group denied ‘any connection’ to the incident.

UNIFIL’s Tilak Pokharel told Sky News that the goal of the mission, which began in the late 1970s, is to ‘get the parties back to the dialogue table’ – but that is ‘definitely not working at the moment’.